Reviewed by USGSTonga21y ago
M4.6 earthquake 277 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga
Monday, February 14, 2005, 10:33:34 UTC · 19.998°S, 177.580°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 277 km WNW of Haveluloto, Tonga on Monday, February 14, 2005, 10:33:34 UTC, at a depth of 503.2 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on February 12, 2005.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 503 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
138 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Niuafo'ou and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
503 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 50 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.3 on March 1, 2005. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,421 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.0TongaJanuary 4, 1903 · 270 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8159 km W of Pangai, TongaDecember 14, 1950 · 181 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8Fiji regionJanuary 1, 1919 · 92 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8192 km WSW of Haveluloto, TongaOctober 14, 1997 · 248 km S of this epicenter
- 7.7Fiji regionAugust 19, 2002 · 276 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.6178 km E of Levuka, FijiFebruary 22, 1909 · 250 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.6240 km E of Levuka, FijiMarch 9, 1994 · 235 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5262 km WNW of Haveluloto, TongaMay 21, 1962 · 16 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1937M8.1
Fiji Islands
16 Apr 1937 · 178 km away
- 1903M8.0
Tonga Islands
4 Jan 1903 · 270 km away
- 1909M7.8
Fiji Islands
22 Feb 1909 · 268 km away
- 1919M7.8
Fiji Islands
1 Jan 1919 · 92 km away
tsunami
- 1950M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Dec 1950 · 174 km away · intensity VI
- 1997M7.7
Tonga Islands
14 Oct 1997 · 248 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.